We’re popping in today for a quick post to answer a question we’ve had a few times already in the new year. That is, what is anchor text?
It’s a great and timely question to tackle as Google just clarified one important issue regarding anchor text.
Here’s what you should know…
What is Anchor Text?
In the simplest of terms, it is the copy you see in a hyperlink. It usually appears in blue.
For example, if we want to make a shameless plug for the fact that we are one of very few subject matter experts in senior living content marketing, we would link to our About Us page.
The copy you see that appears in blue (or maybe purple) is anchor text.
It tells the search engines and site visitors what the page you are linking to is all about. Or at least that’s how it should work. (Some folks abuse links in an attempt to get traffic to other sites they own/manage.)
There are a few different types of anchor text, but you’ll mostly want to use two of them:
- Exact match: This is when you include your exact keywords in the copy for your hyperlink. Word-for-word the phrase is the same. So, for example, if you are linking to new research on diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, your keywords will include that phrase.
- Partial match: Think synonym or summary for this type of anchor text. Let’s say you are writing a blog post about early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease. You are linking to a page that talks about aggression and agitation, so your hyperlink copy might refer to behavioral changes caused by the disease.
What type of anchor copy should you avoid?
That’s the topic Google recently clarified for SEO copywriters.
Don’t Use “Here” for Anchor Text
For copywriters, it can get a little annoying tedious to rework sentences over and over to create hyperlink language that incorporates keywords, but also blends well with the content.
You want the visitor experience to be positive, not clunky and awkward. But you also need the anchor text to work on the SEO side.
Many times writers give up and default to copy that just says some version of click here.
Lizzi Sassman from Google’s SEO crew recently said that using the anchor text here as the copy for your hyperlink is “bad link text” in the eyes of the search giant.
Sassman said content creators need to use “more descriptive text for the page you are linking to.”
Bottom line?
Yes, you really need to make one of your New Year’s resolutions to clean up the anchor text on your copy. It’s mind-numbing at times but, based on this new clarification from Google, necessary to do.
Drop Us a Note
Have a question about senior living content or copywriting? Drop us a note! We’ll do our best to answer, and maybe even write a blog post about it.